Lourdes before 1858

Depart from the town of Lourdes, latitude 43.0960500 (N 43° 5’ 46”), longitude -0.0464500 (W 0° 2’ 47”)

• Peyramale Square - Tourist Office

• You are in the heart of the historic city.
• Excavations have found traces of a Roman city at the crossroads of traffic.
• The discovery of altars dedicated to the divinities of the waters also revealed that the water there was already sacred http://fr.wikipedia.org / wiki / Histoire_de_Lourdes.
• Until 1858, it was on this square that was the church of St. Peter in which Bernadette Soubirous was baptized in January 1844. When the destruction of this church in the early twentieth century, the baptismal funds were installed in the new parish church located nearby. You can also find some of the baroque furniture of the old church in the chapel of the Castle Fort.
• At the Revolution, the City Hall of Lourdes was contiguous to the church, on the site of the current War Memorial.

• The Castle and its Pyrenean Museum

• Place of power of the Counts of Bigorre, it was used in the twelfth century during the crusade against Islam in Spain.
• Now a French fortress, then a military prison, the Château Fort is to this day the flagship museum of Pyrenean traditions. We highly recommend his visit which will allow you not only to discover these traditions, but also the history of the castle and a panoramic view of the city from the Botanical Garden, as well as the Sanctuaries.

• The Tower of Garnavie

• This 13th-century tower bears witness to the role played by the Hospitallers of Saint-Jean in the reception of pilgrims who had crossed Lourdes since the Middle Ages. Sheep farmers (especially in Gavarnie), the Hospitallers benefited from the proximity of the market to sell their production.

• The market

• Center of exchanges between the plain and the mountain, the livestock market was then held on this place, called Place du Champ Commun, which was in 1858 the southern limit of the city.
• Les Halles open every morning, and the big markets of Thursday and Saturday, still perpetuate this activity today. Inspired by the architect Baltard, the metal architecture of the halls - inaugurated in 1900 - come from the so-called "stone market" of Toulouse. Recently renovated, the halls also house a media library.

• Street of Espenettes

• With its house portals, the rue des Espenettes testifies that this district lived in 1830 thanks to the transport of travelers to mountain spa towns.

• Marcadal Square

• Marcadal means market. Here, the fountains and the bourgeois facades testify to the wealth of the notables of the city, which counted 4 000 inhabitants in 1858.
• Take a look in front of the square, at No. 11 rue Saint-Pierre. The house above the pharmacy has been equipped with an observation tower to show the owner's desire to turn to science.

• The dungeon

• This is the house where lived Bernadette Soubirous at the time of the apparitions. If she testifies to the misery of her family in 1858, she also confirms the existence of a working world working in the many stone quarries of the city at that time.

• The origins of Bernadette Soubirous's life

• The northern entrance to the city was at this junction until 1826, when the bridge on your right was built.
• In the place of the Boulevard de la Grotte that you are going to borrow, flowed the old stream of Lapacca which fed the mills of the city. In 1844 there were 7 mills, including the one who saw Bernadette born.

• Boly Mill

• This is the birthplace of Bernadette in 1844.
• In the first room, photographs, maps and documents recreate the atmosphere of the time. When you enter the mill, you notice that the dwelling was relatively comfortable. It is the economic crisis, around 1850, that will change the life of the family of Bernadette, like that of many heavyweights.